All you need to do to purchase this weekly special is send me an email
to nikki@aurella-art.com and let me know what you'd like to buy! You can
buy one print of Rayne, one print of Lissa or both! You can also buy
multiples or various sizes. It's totally up to you! In your email,
please also let me know what country you live in so I can correctly
factor your shipping.

I'll then send you an invoice directly
through Paypal to your email address for an easy and safe purchase. Once
I receive the payment, I will package them up and ship them off to you.
There will be a shipping charge added to each order (though I do
combine shipping so this is not a charge per print! =) ) The charges
will be as follows:

8x10 Prints

United States: $3.75 Canada: $4.75 Everywhere Else: $9.00

5x7 Prints

United States: $3.00 Canada: $3.75 Everywhere Else: $6.00

ACEO Prints

United States: $2.25 Canada: $3.25 Everywhere Else: $4.25

**Please note that this special is not being offered through my website
store or my Etsy store. Though I will happily combine shipping with any
orders purchased through my Etsy shop or website store. My prints come
unsigned, but I'm always happy to sign any print so just let me know if
you'd like a signature! =)

I was drawing the other day and really had a breakthrough with how I work. So, I thought I would share some of my thoughts in hopes that it may help some of you as well!

What I've discovered about myself is that when I feel under pressure to create, my work suffers tremendously. I know that some artists can sit down and give themselves 2 hours of time to sketch, say a fairy sitting on a mushroom, and come up with something amazing. I think that's definitely a fantastic skill to have (and definitely important for deadlines and working in a professional, creative environment), but it's a skill I just don't possess consistently! Sure, I can turn out great work sometimes in that manner, but I've found that when I sit down at the table with my sketch pad, pencil and eraser with no distractions and give myself x amount of time to do something, I create my worst work.

I'm not exactly sure why. I'm guessing it has something to do with the different parts of the brain. Perhaps I'm using too much of my left side of the brain and thinking way too much. Instead I think I need to relax, let go of my focus and use my right side of the brain.

So this is what I do when I draw. I usually draw right at my computer desk. My husband encouraged me to buy two monitors and it's one of the best purchases we've ever made. I set up Netflix or Hulu on one of my monitors. I try to pick a show that I'm interested in, but not too interested in so that it doesn't distract me completely and I get nothing done. I gravitate towards silly reality shows like Hells Kitchen, cartoons (I love My Little Pony!), documentaries (Monster Quest, Ancient Aliens, etc...) or television series that I've already watched like Once Upon a Time or The Vampire Dairies. If I put on a television series that I'm really interested in and haven't seen before, I get way too distracted and don't get enough drawing done. I try to focus on shows that can entertain me by mainly listening to them.

Then in my other monitor, I put up all my reference photos that I'm using for the sketch I'm creating. I never find one photo that I like and end up copying the photo exactly. Instead, I find things that inspire me. Perhaps I like the composition of one photo, the pose of another, the background elements of a third, the colors of a fourth, the textures of a fifth, etc... Then I also draw on my own internal inspirations to create my final sketch.

I try not to set a certain amount of time for myself, but instead allow myself to feel relaxed and free of pressure while I sketch. I usually draw for a little bit, then look up at the show I'm watching. I often find when I do that, I look back down at my drawing and notice things that I wouldn't have if I had been drawing constantly. Your eyes start to play tricks on you if you look at your drawing continuously and things that are "wrong" start to look "right." I work this way as I'm watching, mostly focusing my brain on the television show and not on the drawing. This may sound weird, but I think that art is such an organic process that it doesn't take a lot of brain thought. I think your brain and hand know what to do without having to think about it that much.

So my advice is, if you find yourself struggling to draw, perhaps you're not giving yourself enough time and creating a sense of pressure or a super focused atmosphere. For me, those things don't work and they may not for you either. So put on a television show, movie, music or something else to take your mind off your sketch, relax and give yourself more time. You may find that you create your best work that way as well!

Monday, July 30, 2012

This auction starts now and will last until Monday 8/6/12 at 9:00 PM
EST. ONLY BIDS BELOW THIS PHOTO WILL BE ACCEPTED - WHOLE DOLLAR AMOUNTS
IN USD ONLY. This auction is taking place on my Facebook Fan Page here. This auction will include the following:
~Original Rayne Framed Watercolor Painting - Rayne is my brand new
raven inspired painting! I really wanted this painting to feel gothic,
dark and mysterious so I used dark colors of black and purple to create
her clothing and a grey/blue color to create a misty night sky. Rayne
also has a detailed raven mask in shades of purple and black to
complement her clothing and her raven friend perched on her hand.

And the best part....Rayne will come to you already framed! I placed
her in this gorgeous baroque, intricate style black frame that matches
the painting perfectly. It is a table top frame, so it will sit
perfectly on a bookshelf or table. The frame's outer dimensions measure
approximately 9 1/2"x12". The frame itself is of a resin type material.
It has a glass pane in the front and black velvet on the back. You could
easily add a hangar if you wanted to hang this piece on the wall.

The original painting of Rayne measures 5x7." I have depicted her in
this picture in her beautiful frame as well as a close up so you can see
all the detail.

Simply type the amount you'd like to bid on my Facebook Fan Page here. There will be no minimum bid requirement, so it should be very fun!

I can accept payment through Paypal. I will send an invoice via email
to the winner of the auction through Paypal which is super easy to use.

These items will be shipped via USPS Mail with Insurance (Please Note: I
have tried to figure out the shipping/handling + insurance prices as
accurately as possible. If the shipping amount paid exceeds the actual
shipping cost, I will happily refund the difference. =) )

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Since the majority of my business is online, I spend a lot of time coming up with appropriate tags, keywords, and search terms for all of my shop listings and website.

One search term that is super important but constantly stumps me is the word fairy! It seems like an easy one and definitely essential as about 1/3 of my images are fairies. But what I've discovered is that fairy is spelled so many different ways. There are also many different spellings for the plural form of fairy.

So, what I would love to know is how do YOU spell "fairy"? And how do you spell "fairies"?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

This auction starts now and will last until Friday 7/27/12 at 9:00 PM
EST. ONLY BIDS ON MY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED - WHOLE DOLLAR AMOUNTS
IN USD ONLY.

This auction will include the following:
~Original Lissa Sketch - This sketch measures approx. 8.5x11", is
signed, titled and dated and comes in a plastic sleeve with a backing
board. Lissa is a beautiful butterfly fairy who is standing in the tall
grass with flowers surrounding her! This drawing has already been turned
into a finished watercolor painting. The original painting has sold
along with prints and products featuring this image. This is a fantastic
chance to own the original sketch that painting was based on!

**Please note: This is a -sketch- not a finished drawing. There are smudges and messy lines!

~8x10" Signed Print of Lissa - This auction also includes an 8x10"
print of the finished piece! The actual piece of paper measures 8.5x11"
which leaves a small white border. I've signed and titled the piece in
the white border.

Simply type the amount you'd like to bid on my Facebook Fan Page here. There will be no minimum bid requirement, so it should be very fun!

I can accept payment through Paypal. I will send an invoice via email
to the winner of the auction through Paypal which is super easy to use.

Monday, July 23, 2012

I completed a new sketch that I wanted to share with you all! I created this
sketch right before I left for vacation a little over a week ago. I had a
spare hour, so I decided to sketch this cute little Egyptian inspired
cat with wings.

These quick sketches are so fun to do because I can draw whatever I want! You'll probably see some different subject matters than I usually draw.

I post these quick sketches up on my Facebook Fan Page for a flat rate (no auctions) and the first person to type SOLD wins the sketch! This particular sketch sold before I could make a post on my blog, but I hope to have many more in the future. So just make sure to "like" my Fan Page so that you don't miss out.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

I have a new sketch for sale today on my Facebook Fan Page! And it's only $20! This is not an
auction, just a sketch sale. Click on this link. The first person to type SOLD in the
comments below this sketch in the link will claim it. =)

This sale includes the following:
~1 Original Fairy Sketch - I created this sketch yesterday when I had a
spare hour or so. She is a bit different from my usual faces, but I
wanted to experiment. I really want to draw more often, so I may be
doing these quick sketches more frequently and offering them up for a
quick sale. I'll always try to make an announcement first so that you
know when to look for them though. =)

This sketch measures 5x7" and will come packaged with backing board and a clear plastic sleeve.

**Please note: This is a -sketch- not a finished drawing. There are
smudges and messy lines! This sketch was created on white sketch paper.

Just type SOLD below in the comments below the sketch in this link! First come, first served. =)

I can accept payment through Paypal. I will send an invoice via email
to the winner of the auction through Paypal which is super easy to use.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Nikki Burnette and I am a fantasy artist. I paint all sorts of fantastical creatures in watercolor. Fantasy art is where my heart lies. I love being able to escape the reality of our world for even just a few hours and enter a new fantasy realm where witches play tricks on Halloween Night, fairies fly around the sweet smelling rosebuds, and mermaids swim gracefully through the water with their dolphin friends. I sell my original paintings as well as a wide range of different products that I create myself in my studio. Thanks for stopping by!